


Settling

by CynicalGamer



Category: South Park
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-10
Updated: 2015-03-11
Packaged: 2018-02-04 03:23:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,726
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1764025
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CynicalGamer/pseuds/CynicalGamer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Craig wasn't what you'd call happy. He wasn't sad, or angry, or anything like that even. No, he was content.<br/>Fine settling for second best and giving up whatever he had to.<br/>Except one thing always bothered him...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> My first contribution of fanfiction to the South Park fandom c:  
> I'm sorry if anyone sounds terribly out of character!

Kenny McCormick was perfection in the most convoluted, complex way. His hair was just messy enough, borderline porn star sexy, but actually just tousled and cute. His eyes were bright, a blue only the sky in the middle of redneck woods could match. He was tall, third tallest out of their friend group, just under Cartman and Token, and he was thin, too. Still, he had a bit of lean muscle, not too much, only enough. Everything about him was just perfect...  
Until he opened his mouth.

Now, this wasn't about his teeth, because admittedly, Craig's teeth weren't that awesome, either. No, this was about the words that fell from his face on a daily basis. Sometime after middle school, Kenny out of the blue decided to become the biggest asshole in all of South Park to Craig, who, once again admittedly, was a huge fucking asshole himself. The passive-aggressive asides, the snarky comments, the rude and lude insults; All of it came from Kenny, everyday.

Why on earth Kenny believed he should do that, Craig would never know, but he just never let it get to him. Cause, seriously? South Park was full of assholes, despite its small population, and if he let one get to him, he'd let all of them get to him. This was a game, a competitive match, so how could he hand the fucking win to Kenny "asshole" McCormick? That wasn't his style, not in the slightest. So he ignored him, shot him a few glares, and of course flipped him off, but no words were ever said, no fists thrown.

Even further, none of that is the reason Craig is about ready to punch the fucking lights out of Kenny, who happens to be ten feet away, drinking punch like the smuggest dick ever. They're at a graduation party, their party, or more specifically, a party for graduation at Token's house, because where else would it be held? Token, by the way, currently has his ass stuck in a cake, but that's not important. Know what else isn't important? Where the hell Stan is, because Craig hasn't seen him since the actually graduation, and Kyle's no help on that matter.

Hell, why is it that Tweek just told Craig about Clyde getting arrested? What the fuck is up with that?  
None of that matters, all that DOES matter, is punching Kenny so hard his teeth straighten out!

But, no...it DOES matter. All of it does and to really understand anything of what is happening, you'd have to look back to Freshman year of highschool, just to see why.

Craig was sitting on a bench at the local park, eyes heavy with exhaustion and eyebrows perpetually set to a scowl. Tomorrow, he and everyone he grew up with (sans those who managed to move away), were piling onto a bus and driving to the highschool one town over. See, they didn't have enough students at South Park to have a functioning highschool, so of course, they'd have to go to a highschool that had way too many people. In some ways this was nice, because Craig could blend into the crowd, not bother talking to anyone new. In other ways this was bad.

He had grown comfortable with his way of living, even becoming somewhat friends with Stan and Kyle, though he still hated Cartman's guts. To have it all taken away in a blink of the eye was just frustrating as hell. Given time, Craig knew he could adjust, he just didn't want to. There was an order to things, a set way they were supposed to work, but it all could be collapsed just with this one, seemingly insignificant event. So, he sighed, ran his fingers through his bangs, and ran his tongue over his braces. Fuck braces.

It was at that moment that he thought back to elementary school, thought back to all those obnoxious fucking adventures and those stupid mindless fights. Everyday it seemed like Stan and his friends were up to something dangerous, and for some unknown reason, they dragged Craig into it often as possible. He missed those days.

A text tone from his phone snapped him from those memories, reminding him where he was right now. Pulling out his phone, Craig raised an eyebrow at Kenny's name. That asshole never texted him, what did he want?

'whats your schedule?'

Of course. That's all. Just asking what his schedule for freshman year was. Craig rolled his eyes, actually feeling a pang of something. He didn't know what it was, but it was somewhere between butterflies in your stomach and that feeling you get when you're swinging on a swingset. Yeah, something kind of like that. So he pulled out the folded and slightly crumpled schedule, using his right thumb to type it in. A minute or two later (Kenny's phone was absolute shit after all), he received a reply.

'guess everyone has the same lunch period'

Fucking perfect.

Shoving the paper and his phone back in his pocker, Craig left the pond and started walking back home. He tugged a bit anxiously at his hat and managed to lower it so that his eyebrows lined up perfectly with the felt-like material. There, now he looked as disinterested as possible. It was all a facade, of course. No one could be that fucking apathetic all the time. Everything was about keeping the face solemn, no matter what. Sometimes he broke, mostly when hanging out with Clyde, or especially with Tweek, but he was pretty good at scowling. That's all it took, really, for everyone to assume to leave you the fuck alone.

Now if only that'd work while he was in highschool.


	2. Chapter Two

Now, Craig fully intended on going home, watching a rerun of Red Racer, and feeding Stripe before heading to bed to face the inevitable shitstorm that was life. It would've been rather simple, his feet usually just went there on their own, but there were also times he found himself somewhere else. Every once in awhile he had found himself standing in front of Kenny's shit home, or just outside Tweek's window, or at the gate to Token's place. However, tonight, Craig had found himself at his best friend's home, the abode of Clyde Donovan.

In the life of Craig, though, friend and asshole he could put up with were interchangeable. Still, despite whatever bullshit Clyde had put him through, he was a good pal when he really needed it. So, against his prior wishes, Craig opened the front door, knowing Clyde never locked it when he was home alone. "Clyde?" He asked to silence, his eyes searching for anyone. When he was certain Clyde wasn't there, he headed for his friend's room. Once he reached the door, Craig lifted his hand to knock, but hesitated when he suddenly remembered what Clyde often was up to while alone.

With a sigh, Craig put his ear gently to the door and shoved his hands in his pockets. Sure enough, like a fucking porn star or something, Clyde was moaning away inside his room. "You should probably stop leaving the door unlocked." Craig smirked, hearing a loud crash after his statement. "jESUS! Craig!? Way to kill it!" Craig chuckled to himself, patiently waiting outside, his back pressed up to the wall and head tilted back. It was a solid minute before Clyde emerged, hair completely messed up and forehead dripping with the grossest of sweat. "The fuck are you doing here, dude?"

That was a very good question, one that Craig did not have an answer to. What the hell was doing here and not at home? "I..." He stopped immediately, deciding to just shrug instead. Clyde raised an eyebrow, shifting uncomfortably. "C'mon man, you really need a good reason to interrupt me, I mean seriously!" He complained with a roll of the eyes. When he received nothing in reply, Clyde wandered off toward the kitchen, probably to get some water or a snack. Craig followed, not sure of what else to do. Once they were at their destination, predictably so, Clyde grabbed a bottle of water and a bag of chips. He glanced at Craig, his version of offering, but Craig shook his head no.

"You know, dude," Clyde plopped down on his couch, kicking his feet up on the coffee table. "We're going to be freshman. In a HUGE highschool." The brunette was grinning wildly, struggling to open the water bottle he had grabbed. "Get to the point." Craig said, snatching the water bottle and twisting the cap off for his friend. "Thanks. My point, Craig, is there's gonna be, like, a thousand new girls for me to score with!" Craig couldn't help but snicker at that, stealing a chip from Clyde. "You make it sound like you've already scored with a girl before." Clyde suddenly got defensive, brows furrowed in mock determination. "I could've!"

Craig gave him a look, one that really got the point across. Needless to say, Clyde ended up giving in, shrugging weakly and kicking his feet over the edge of the couch. He really wasn't that tall yet, probably just hadn't hit his growth spurt, that was all. Still, Craig felt like he towered him, even though it was only by a few inches, it seemed like a lot. "Okay, okay. Whatever, man, you haven't scored, either!" There was something so fucking amusing about the way Clyde continuously attempted to defend the honor he never quite had in the first place. "Fair point, except I'm not trying to fuck everything I see." Craig shot back with a smirk. They both flipped each other off.

"Not...Everything."  
"Oh my God, Clyde, shut up."

They went on like that for another half hour, mindlessly chatting about the possibilities of highschool and what kind of people they'd meet, since they never really met that many people from outside of South Park. Clyde mostly talked about all the girls he was going to woo or whatever, while Craig wondered aloud about classes and the student body as a whole. Back and forth they voiced their thoughts and opinions, until Clyde asked something seemingly out of the blue.  
"H-Hey are you, uh...scared?"  
Craig stared at him for a bit, face blank. "Highschool's not going to be--"

"That's not what I was talking about, man." Clyde muttered. "Then what?" Craig prompted him further, sitting up better on the couch. Clyde shook his head, trying to gather his thoughts. "I, uh...nevermind. It's really not important, pretty stupid, really." He laughed lightly, more so with just breathy little gasps, but Craig recognized the sentiment. "Alright, man."

As Craig was leaving, however, Clyde gripped him by the shoulder, suddenly looking very serious. "Kenny's been asking about you." The words came out so quickly, as if he had been holding that in for a week. Still, they managed to register in Craig's mind, all organized and thought out with careful, almost obsessive accuracy. "I-I just wanted you to know, dude. Before, you know, shit would happen." Craig gently lifted Clyde's hand from his shoulder and turned on his heel, leaving without another word, and as he was walking away, he could still hear his friend's shouting.  
"Don't just shut down! It's not a big deal!"

Now settled down on the floor beside his bed, Craig removed his hat and sat it down on the plush carpet he had. Kenny was fucking with him, playing mind games, obviously. Or was he just overreacting? Probably. Maybe both.


	3. Chapter Three

Even after promising himself repeatedly that he'd just fall the fuck to sleep, Craig was still wide awake at three in the morning. It was just bugging him; What the hell was Kenny asking about? What on earth did that douche need to know? He wracked his brain again and again, yet nothing came to mind and instead he ended up frustrated beyond belief. So, with quick, snappy movements, he grabbed his phone and immediately speed dialed Clyde. You know, the idiot who thought it'd be great to let Craig in on the previously mentioned interesting fact. After three rings, Clyde picked up.

"Nnn dude, what the fuck? What the actual fuck are you doing?" His voice was low and rough, obviously because he was just asleep. "What was he asking?" Craig got right to the point, now sitting up in bed with both his knees brought to his chest. With barely any energy, Clyde mumbled something and ended a stream of babbling with a very clear "Huh?"  
"Kenny. What was he asking about me?" Craig wasn't messing around, he had to figure this out or he'd get no sleep whatsoever. "Really, man? THAT'S why you're calling?" The last word formed into more of a yawn. "Listen, dude, Craig. I don't know. He didn't ask ME, okay?"

Well at least he was finally getting somewhere, even if that wasn't anywhere close. "Then how in the hell did you find out about it?" Craig questioned as a follow-up. There was another yawn from Clyde's end, and then some loud rustling before the door could clearly be heard being shut. "He was asking Token questions. I just heard from him." The other replied. "That doesn't make any sense, everyone knows you're my best friend..." Craig muttered, face scrunching up in tired confusion. "Aw, thanks, man! I love you, too!"  
"Not now, Clyde."  
"No, seriously, I feel touched that you care so much about me."  
"Clyde--"  
"No homo, though."  
"I swear to God--"  
"Cause ya know, we wouldn't wanna ruin such a beautiful friendship, right?"

Craig groaned and collapsed backwards on his bed, nearly dropping the phone in the process. "Okay, okay! Chill out, man. Remember, you're the asshole who decided to call!" The fridge door closed in the background, then a cupboard opening and closing could be heard. "Let's make this easier for the both of us, and you answer my questions. Why was Kenny asking Token and not you?" Craig attempted again despite his growing irritation. "Cause Kenny trusts Token more than me. He figured I'd blab and tell you, cause bros before...other dudes, so he asked Token instead and Token told me, but he also told me NOT to tell you. I can't believe he didn't trust me, like really!"

There was no way he was going to bring up the obvious right now, that would just keep Clyde going. "So if I ask Token? He won't fucking tell me, will he?" There was a brief moment of silence, just before Clyde could be heard chugging down what presumably was a glass of milk or some shit like that. "Yeah, probably not. I guess the guy's serious about his promises." One could assume Clyde shrugged right then. They'd be right. "Fucking hell, what's Kenny's deal, anyway?! I swear to God if he fucks up highschool for me--"  
"Woah, Craig, calm down! Don't you think you're freaking out over, like, nothing? Kenny hasn't even directly spoken to you all summer."

With a sigh, Craig rested his arm across his stomach, feeling as it rose and fell. "Don't you get it, though? That's worse! He's fucking talking behind my back!" He insisted, even with a reduced urge to kick something. "Okay, look. You NEED to chill out. You're starting to sound like, obsessed or something. Seriously, it's not a big deal!" Without a second thought, Craig hung up. The phone was gently tossed to the side, landing safely on a pile of dirty clothes. That was the best he was going to get, so he went swiftly to sleep.

As morning came, Craig lazily got ready, gathering all of his new school supplies and leaving before his parents even woke up to tell him goodbye. Right now, he didn't want to deal with them at all. Instead, he slowly made his way to the bus stop, tugging at his sleeves anxiously. Speaking of that, in the distance, he could already see Tweek waiting, rocking back and forth on his worn out heels, teeth gnawing away at his already bloody lip. Wasn't he a sight for sore eyes, all frazzled just from existing in a world he never quite felt prepared for. The coffee he had that morning must've been strong, because he was shaking and shivering more than any small purse-sized dog Craig had ever seen.

Now, Tweek was an interesting case, because so quickly and suddenly, Craig would find himself lost in a dazed smile over the boy. He was the shortest of all of them, only five foot four, and about two inches of wild, unmanageable hair. His eyes were always huge, constantly searching and observing his surroundings as if his life depended on it. Tweek was always a bit off, ever since they were kids, but now he had become worse, his anxieties never left him, not once. Even with all that in mind, he was still a natural at school, always getting straight A's, but refusing to take honors classes, due to the pressure it'd present him with. Therefore, Craig often shared a class or a few with him.

Highschool was soon to be the absolute worse thing to ever happen to Tweek, and yet simultaneously the greatest.

And it was all Craig's fault, either way you looked at it.


	4. Chapter Four

"C-Craig!" Despite jumping nearly two feet in the air, Tweek grinned at his friend welcomingly. Sometimes Craig had to wonder if it was forced, but today, he seemed rather grateful to see him. "Hey, Tweek. How long have you been here? I thought I was going to be first." The brunette chuckled lightly, hands shoved in his pockets. Inside his right one, he could feel the slightly coarse paper on which his schedule was printed. At the moment, it wasn't making him feel any better. "O-Oh, you know. Maybe half an h-hour?" That was a blatant lie. Knowing Tweek for this long, Craig didn't even have to look to know when he was lying. He had to have been there at least an hour.

With only a soft hum in reply, Craig's eyes landed on the blonde, taking in the nervousness and anxious chuckling. Just seeing him with his always way too big button-down shirts and oversized jeans, you'd imagine him to be frail and skinny, barely a percentage of fat. That wouldn't be completely wrong, because he was rather thin looking no matter what, but he also had more muscle than anyone of them. Sometime before middle school, he had taken up boxing, inspired by that dumbass fight in the fourth grade. He was good, that was for sure, and Craig never wanted any rematch.

"You're going to be alright, by the way. Just...keep your head down. Don't draw attention to yourself or else assholes'll be lining up." Craig suddenly remarked, casual and level-headed as usual. Tweek seemed to flinch at that, gnawing once more at his lip as if that could solve all his worries. "GAH! I don't know, man...I d-don't exactly blend in...I'm a fucking f-freak." His entire body tensed and shrunk, making him look even smaller if that was even possible. "I told you, don't say that." Craig glared intensely at him, but said nothing more. "S-Sorry..." Was all the blonde could mutter in response.

Tweek wasn't convinced, though, Craig knew that. It would take a hell of a lot more than that, a lot more than just moral support. Still, he just was never great at providing much else, Token was always that kind of guy, able to sit down and talk things out with someone. In some ways, Craig was jealous Tweek had better options, even considering he never used them. At the same time, however, he was frustrated Tweek didn't get the help he needed. Fucking oblivious parents nowadays, they can coddle him all they want or push him away, neither would help a bit. From the corner of his eye, Craig noticed Tweek flinch again.

"Don't think so h-hard, seriously. I can see it i-in your face." He mumbled, a thumb running over the lining of his barely rolled up sleeves. Something about the material made him relax just a tad bit better. "Were you staring?" Craig found himself asking with a smirk. Tweek snorted, shaking his head. "Shut up, d-dork." Man, did he love when Tweek would say that. It meant he was feeling okay, because he could actually take a joke without panicking about it. It was way worse when he over analyzed every little detail, spouting off insecurities as if they were fun facts.

"Morning!" Now it was Craig's turn to jump two feet off the ground. For some reason, he hadn't thought about Kyle showing up, although he was a notorious early bird. Tweek muttered some form of greeting, but remained with his eyes cast down. "Hey." Craig now stared at the redhead, smirk faltering. "I'm surprised I wasn't the first one here! I probably should've woken up Stan on the way, but I'm sure he's fine. You guys ready to start highschool!" Definitely an early bird, what with his overly chipper attitude and already fully awake mind at work. It would be impressive if it wasn't kind of obnoxious.

Kyle stared back with bright green eyes, and those fucking dimples every mother in South Park wouldn't shut up about were framing them perfectly. The ginger was pretty short, too, but still managed to look vastly taller than Tweek, probably because of his better posture, something beaten into him from a young age. There was a sense of pride in every step he took. The asshole just glowed with optimistic confidence everyday. He honestly hadn't changed much fom his younger days, still slightly self-absorbed, but a decent human being nonetheless.

Unlike Tweek, he was ready and willing to not only take, but excel in a multitude of honors classes, keeping him from sharing classes with his friends. Instead, he also invested time in electives and extracurricular activities those pals of his enjoyed. So really, he was just a sheep in the long run, doing what it took to keep people happy. Such a people-pleaser, and yet he struggled to listen to how other's felt and truly understand. It was complicated. Everything always was with them, they were only human.

The three enjoyed meager small-talk, much like the kind Craig had already participated in with Clyde the night before. After a few moments, they compared schedules, and not long after that, others began to arrive, even beyond the usual crowd. More notably, Token had arrived quickly, followed by Wendy and Stan, then Clyde with Cartman and Bebe, then last, Kenny.

And fuck if the look Kenny gave Craig seconds upon arriving didn't make his blood boil.


	5. Chapter Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am a mostly retired writer butttt I kinda wanted to expand on this story just a bit more

The bus ride wasn't terribly long, and the chattering of everyone kept Craig's mind preoccupied. He sat beside Tweek, who was still frazzled and scratching at his neck, and across the aisle from Clyde and Token, who were discussing sports. With noise at a constant level, Craig found himself zoning out more than anything else, and having his eyes fixed on one location. Kenny. That dick was entirely too busy with his own conversation to even pay mind to the brunette's gaze from across the bus. Until suddenly his eyes shifted. Craig immediately looked down, feeling an odd warmth spread over his face. Whether or not Kenny noticed, however, was up in the air. Stupid, gorgeous, blonde!

"Craig, dude? You okay, man?" Clyde was wearing a rather concerned expression, knowing all too well what what up.

"Yeah. Fine." Was his short response. The rest of the ride went silent on his end, and not like Tweek was interested in talking.

 Once they arrived (After an awful thirty minutes of driving), everyone began piling out of the bus, still maintaining some sort of talk, as if once they stopped, they would admit they were in a soul-sucking, waste of time establishment. These next four years would be hard on them. All of them. Craig flinched at the thought, and simultaneously at the loud honk of a laugh Cartman let out. Kenny had apparently said something real damn funny, but not like Craig cared at all. Right? Yeah. Right. This was a time of not giving a shit and he couldn't let some punk ass disrupt his mission. So, as usual, Craig tugged down his hat until the eyebrows lined right up with the felt-like brim, and he scowled. There was nothing else to do here. Though, he could feel a pair of eyes on him, and as he glanced to the right, sure enough, Tweek was intensely staring.

"Tweek?" Craig whispered, raising an unseen eyebrow.

"S-Sorry!" The blonde squeaked in response, going on to say the same word ten more times, so fast that it all melded into one. He was more nervous than Craig had initially thought.

"Hang in there."

In the distance, Craig could clearly see Stan and Kyle glancing over each other's schedules, but Stan wasn't even looking at the paper, and rather staring at the red head. He couldn't figure that Marsh kid out, exactly. Something about his was off-putting, but not overly much so that he would never interact with him (Although avoiding such was a good idea, usually). Nah, there just wasn't something right with him. Maybe it was his constant tired eyes nowadays, how his voice would sometimes get real low, as if he was paying eerily close attention, or maybe it was his dumb hat. All of the above? Sure. Why not?

Wendy strolled over next to them, laying a gentle hand on Stan's shoulder as she expertly weaved her way into the conversation. She was okay. Most of anyone who liked girls tended to drool over her, since she grew up to be one of the prettiest girls in South Park, but probably rather average by the world's standards. In academics, though, that was another story entirely. She excelled, much like Kyle, except she was blatantly worried about it, always wanting to be better than Cartman, who seems to somehow always keep up. What a pain in everyone's necks. She and Stan were complicated, and no one was quite sure how things were. Maybe because Stan was unpredictable, maybe because Wendy still wants to be on top, maybe some combination of both or something else entirely.

If Wendy was average, Bebe was pretty. Again, drool, girl, yeah. Same fucking story except with a twist. Bebe is actually not a bad person (Not to say Wendy is, except she isn't exactly awesome to talk to and Craig has had way too many earfuls for a lifetime). You see, the blonde was average in personality, just did average in class, and for some odd reason, used to date Clyde. That was Fourth and Fifth Grade, though, so maybe that doesn't count. Still, once middle school came around, she was pleasant and maintained good relations with everyone, talking up Softball as a hobby. Nice girl.

Then there's Token. He was across the way, ruffling his hair and looking up at the tall buildings this school had. That's right, buildings. Plural. Not important (None of this really is, but you can never be too certain). He was a kind-hearted guy, the kind you could trust with just about anything and everything. At the same time, though, he was all hush hush about his own life and continued to appear Joe-shmoey. Bunch of fucking bullcrap, if you asked Craig. Right now, since Token was such a fucking genuine guy, Craig was pissed as hell at him. Especially if you figure he would answer any questions Kenny had about Craig. Ass hat, rich kid.

And Ass hat Kenny for asking in the first place, probably trying to dig up some real fucking dirt so that on the first day everyone knows Craig Tucker is a real loser, some idiot faker no one should ever leave alone. Craig wouldn't put it passed him, not after all the shit he decided to spread back in Middle School (The bed wetting sounded like shit out of context, cause hey, that was second grade, not just a week ago).

Everyone. Fucking Assholes in their own right.

Even Craig.

Especially Craig.

He was the god damn worst of them all.


End file.
